Dog Emergency Care

Many pet owners never expect to have to give their dog emergency care.
To avoid chaos, it's best to know what to do and where to go for help.
Because emergencies always seem to happen outside of normal business
hours, you should have emergency supplies and emergency contact
information readily available, so you can react quickly and potentially
save your dog’s life.

Canine First Aid

Every dog owner should take a class in Emergency Canine First Aid.
These classes are typically offered through the local community
college, animal shelter or veterinary hospital. Instruction not only
includes proper procedures for common emergency first aid techniques,
but also includes details on how to create your own dog first aid kit.
While first aid kits are available commercially, you can assemble your
own kit with supplies available at your local pharmacy and around the
house. A typical dog first aid kit includes:

Gauze sponges (50 – 4 inch by 4 inch)

Ace self-adhering athletic bandage (3” width)

Sterile non-adhering pads

Sterile stretch gauze bandage (3 inches by four yards)

Vet Rap bandage

Hypoallergenic cloth tape (1 inch by 10 yards)

Bandage scissors

Triple antibiotic ointment

Rubbing alcohol

Hydrogen peroxide

Petroleum jelly (Vaseline or similar)

Pepto Bismol tablets

Kaopectate tablets

Generic Benadryl capsules (25 mg tablets)

Hydrocortisone cream (1%)

Buffered aspirin

Custom splint materials

You may also include:

Blanket

Muzzle

Tweezers

Rectal thermometer

Ziplock bags

Paperwork to include health records, poison control 800 numbers,
veterinary hospital phone number and clinic hours, emergency animal
hospital phone number and hours.

Veterinary Clinics

Your first option during regular business hours is to go to your
normal veterinarian. They are familiar with your dog and have his
medical history readily available. They will also have access to any
recent blood work that's been done, providing them a baseline to
compare with any additional blood that has to be taken. If possible,
call your vet before you leave home to head to the hospital. This will
allow the staff to prepare for your arrival and have a treatment area
already established, depending upon the urgency of the situation.

Emergency Veterinary Hospitals

Some cities have an emergency veterinary facility available to treat
urgent or critical medical situations. If an emergency facility is not
available in your area, ask your veterinarian if they have an emergency
number or if they know of a local veterinary hospital that does. Keep
their contact information and address on hand should they be required.

Call the emergency veterinary hospital before leaving home to inform
them of the situation. Remain calm and provide them the information
requested. As you head to their facility, they'll be preparing for any
particular procedure they think will be required.

While no one ever wants to think about providing emergency first aid
for their dog, it's best to be prepared for these kinds of situations,
should they occur. Being prepared allows you to remain as calm as
possible and provide the appropriate care necessary, whether it be at
home or at an emergency or regular veterinary facility. Being prepared
can help keep your dog healthy and avoid complications if an emergency
comes up.